1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanism for specifically searching data specific to a user""s network address browsing history.
2. Background of the Related Art
Computer networks provide a powerful and convenient environment for maintaining information, which may be shared by multiple end-users. However, the growing size of networks, particularly the Internet, makes it difficult to locate relevant information in an expedient fashion. As a result, search tools were developed to locate information on the network based on a query input by a user. Two common search methods include the use of search engines and directories, both having capability to search listings. One difference between search engines and directories is in the manner in which each tool compiles listings. Search engines comprise a search tool referred to as a spider, a crawler or a robot, which builds indexes containing the traversed addresses according to well-known protocols and algorithms. A user-input query in the form of phrases, keywords, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), etc., prompts the search engine to sift through the plurality of network addresses (typically on the order of millions) in the index to find matches to the user query. The results are displayed to the user for review and selection. One example of a search engine developed for use on the Internet is HotBot(copyright).
Directories also include an index containing information, which is provided to the user according to a query. However, directories do not utilize spiders to compile the index. Instead, human operators manually retrieve relevant information and store the information to the directory. One example of a directory is Yahoo(copyright).
The advantages of search engines and directories have been combined resulting in a hybrid search engine. The hybrid search engine uses a spider but includes a directory to ensure that a search will necessarily include the contents of the directory.
Regardless of the particular search tool structure, conventional search tools reside on a server accessible to multiple users. Search queries are sent from the users to the search tools via a network connection. The search tools then parse the query and execute a search algorithm to identify any network addresses containing information matching the query. In theory, spiders are capable of traversing the entire Internet to locate matching URLs. In practice, however, only a small fraction of the Internet is traversed. Directories are similarly limited because the indexes are selectively compiled by human operators. Accordingly, the effectiveness of conventional search tools is limited.
Another problem with conventional search tools is the relevancy of the search results is dependent on the user""s ability to craft a query. Many times the user may simply want to return to a previously-visited network address (e.g., web address). However, conventional search tools have no xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d of a particular user""s history on the network. Thus, the search will include a survey of the index maintained by the search engine or directory. Consequently, the user""s search query may return numerous irrelevant results and may not even include the one of interest to the user.
One method for a user to return to a previously-visited network address on the network is through book-marking, a feature typically supported by a browser program. A browser program, such as Netscape Navigator(copyright), provided by Netscape Communications of Mountain View, Calif., is a Graphical User Interface (GUI), which allows the user to display web pages. A user searching (referred to as browsing) the network for information may visit a plurality of network addresses using the browser program. When the user finds a site of interest, to which he or she may want to return, the user stores the address for the site to as a bookmark. The bookmark is typically placed within a bookmark folder, or sub-folder, accessible to the browser program. Subsequently, the user may return to the network address by accessing the bookmark folder, and subfolders, rather than attempting to locate the network address using a search engine or directory. Thus, bookmarks provide the user a convenient means of facilitating information storage and retrieval.
Overtime however, bookmarks and bookmark folders become unmanageable due to the volume of addresses contained therein. Therefore, frustrated users avoid adding additional network addresses to the bookmark folder, thereby rendering the folder useless and requiring the user to rely on search tools to revisit sites. Therefore, there is a need for a search tool adapted to search previously-visited network addresses for results that match a search query and display the results in a meaningful way.
The present invention generally provides a method, article of manufacture and apparatus for searching local and non-local user-specific data comprising network addresses previously-visited by the user. In one embodiment, a network search tool allows the user to more quickly find the addresses previously-visited by matching search criteria to user-specific data and optionally combining those results obtained from a search of the network.
In one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for searching for information on a network of computers comprising a computer connected to the network of computers, the method comprising: receiving search request information by a first search tool; determining, by the first search tool, whether network information located on the network of computers satisfies the search request information; returning search results by the first search tool; and determining whether one or more network addresses stored in memory associated with the computer satisfy the search results.
In another aspect of the invention, a signal-bearing media containing a search tool program which, when executed by a computer connected to a network of computers, causes at least one of the computer or the network of computers to perform the steps of:
(a) parsing search request information;
(b) determining whether network information located on the network of computers satisfies the search request information;
(c) returning search results; and
(d) determining whether one or more network addresses stored in memory associated with the computer satisfy the search results.
One aspect of the invention includes a computer system comprising: a computer comprising a processor and a memory; a network of computers connected to the computer; one or more search tools resident on at least one of the computer and the network of computers, wherein the one or more search tools, when executed, are configured to perform steps comprising: (a) determine whether network information located on the network of computers satisfies a search query; (b) if network information satisfies the search query, return search results; and (c) determine whether one or more network addresses stored in the memory satisfy the search results.